storage News - CNX Software - Embedded Systems News

May 11, 2026May 12, 2026 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 6 Comments

Up to 256 MB FERRIT modular F-RAM storage device preserves critical data for up to 200 years

Machdyne’s FERRIT is a modular USB F-RAM storage device with a capacity of up to 256 MB and capable of storing data for up to 200 years with a virtually unlimited number of writes and high-radiation resistance. It builds upon the earlier Blaustahl F-RAM storage device that only offers 8KB capacity. The FERRIT device supports 8 MB to 256 MB by combining up to 256 individual 1 MB F-RAM ICs. The prototype below is housed in a metal frame and looks like a typical cluster solution. FERRIT specifications and key features: FERRIT-CY controller based on Raspberry Pi RP2040 MCU with USB-FS Type-C port FERRIT-M8 removable ferroelectric memory cards with up to 16MB capacity using 16x 1MB F-RAM ICs (double-sided: 2x 8 chips) FERRIT-16 backplane with slots for FERRIT-CY and 16x FERRIT-M8 connected over SPI/QSPI bus Max capacity – 256 MB+ through up to 256x memory devices (16 memory cards with 16 chips) […]

March 28, 2026March 28, 2026 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 4 Comments

TerraMaster F2-425 Plus NAS review – Part 2: Configuration, benchmarks, and AI-enhanced media storage

I received the TerraMaster F2-425 Plus 3+2 Hybrid NAS for review last month, and after checking out the hardware in the first part of the review, I’ve finally had time to test the Intel N150 NAS. After installing two 4TB SATA drives and an M.2 NVMe SSD, I’ll report my experience setting up the system with the TNAS Android app, before running some benchmarks, and testing features like photo backup with AI search capabilities. Hard drive installation I already had an old, but little-used, 4TB HGST SATA drive, and I bought a “new” 4TB SATA drive online for a pretty good deal (2979 THB or a little over $90 US). It turns out the HPE MB4000GVY2K drive I got was refurbished, having been manufactured in 2017. However, it’s an enterprise-grade drive, and the TNAS app reports it has been used “only” for 2,517 hours, so I don’t feel too bad […]

February 24, 2026February 27, 2026 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 8 Comments

Kioxia samples UFS 5.0 embedded flash memory with up to 1TB capacity, 10.8 GB/s data rate

Kioxia has announced that it has begun shipping evaluation samples of UFS 5.0 embedded flash memory available in capacities of 512 GB and 1 TB. UFS 5.0 is a new standard for embedded flash storage currently being developed by JEDEC for next-generation mobile devices. The new standard utilizes MIPI M-PHY version 6.0 for the physical layer and UniPro version 3.0 for the protocol. The new High-Speed Gear 6 (HS-GEAR6) mode available in M-PHY version 6.0 can handle up to 46.6 Gbps per lane, meaning that with 2 lanes, it can achieve around 10.8 GB/s read/write performance, outperforming most NVMe SSDs, except for PCIe Gen5 SSDs. As a reminder, the previous UFS 4.0 standard promised up to 4,200 MB/s, so the upcoming UFS 5.0 standard more than doubles the theoretical speed. [Update: note quite “upcoming”, since the UFS 5.0 standard was also published on February 26, 2026] Besides the higher throughput, […]

February 19, 2026March 28, 2026 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 2 Comments

TerraMaster F2-425 Plus 3+2-bay hybrid NAS review – Part 1: unboxing, teardown, drives installation, and first boot

TerrasMaster F2-425 Plus Review TOS initialization

TerraMaster has sent us a sample of the F2-425 Plus 3+2-bay NAS for review. It’s powered by an Intel Processor N150 CPU paired with 8GB of RAM, with two 3.5-inch SATA bays and three M.2 NVMe sockets for storage, as well as two 5GbE RJ45 jacks, and a few USB ports. Since we’ve already written the specifications in the previous article, we’ll focus the first part of the review on an unboxing and a teardown to check out the hardware design, before showing how to install the drives, and giving it a quick first try. TerraMaster F2-425 Plus NAS unboxing We received the F2-425 Plus “All new 2-Bay Hybrid NAS” in its retail package. UPS took nearly two months to deliver it from Hong Kong to Thailand, mostly due to customs issues, but I digress. The package includes an accessories box with a Quick Installation Guide, a Limited Warranty brochure, […]

February 17, 2026February 17, 2026 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 9 Comments

60W Pocket Cloud is a microSD card reader with USB PD passthrough for your smartphone (Crowdfunding)

60W Pocket Cloud is a microSD card reader with 60W USB PD passthrough for your smartphone that works with Android (USB-C) and iOS (USB-C or Lightning) mobile devices, as well as other hosts with a spare USB port. Once upon a time, smartphone manufacturers would include a microSD card socket in their devices, but those have now become harder to find. If your device’s spare storage is getting dangerously low, you’d need to either purchase cloud storage or connect a microSD card reader to the USB-C port of your phone. The latter works, except you can’t charge your phone when it’s connected. Conner’s 60W Pocket Cloud brings back microSD card storage support to mobile devices, while still allowing USD PD charging during use. 60W Pocket Cloud specifications: Chipset – Vinpower iVP309 flash controller chip with 2x USB 3.2 Gen 1 (5 Gbps), SD 3.0 UHS-I, SDCX SD card interface, USB […]

January 22, 2026March 28, 2026 by Debashis Das - 2 Comments

TerraMaster D1 SSD Pro – A Thunderbolt 5 fanless SSD enclosure with 80Gbps bandwidth, 7GB/s practical performance

TerraMaster D1 SSD Pro connected to MAC Mini

TerraMaster has recently launched the D1 SSD Pro Thunderbolt 5 fanless enclosure, an update to the previous Thunderbolt 4-based TerraMaster D1 SSD Plus. The new version features an 80Gbps Thunderbolt 5 port, supports M.2 2280 NVMe SSDs with up to 8TB capacity, and has been tested at up to 7,061MB/s read and 6,816MB/s write speeds, nearly doubling Thunderbolt 4 performance. The enclosure uses a fanless, CNC-machined aluminum design that enables silent operation through passive heat dissipation. It also features smart LED indicators for connection speed, and offers compatibility with Thunderbolt 5/4/3, USB4, and USB 3.2 across Windows, macOS, and Linux, including boot support on macOS. With various protection features (short-circuit, surge, ESD) and a compact, rugged design, it is suited for 8K/4K video editors, power MacBook users, gamers who need real-time editing, ultra-fast transfers, and reliable external boot or workspace storage. TerraMaster D1 SSD Pro specifications Performance (claimed) – Up […]

December 11, 2025December 11, 2025 by Debashis Das - 7 Comments

Up to 16-core AMD EPYC Embedded 2005 Series Zen 5 processors support up 28 PCIe Gen5 lanes, offer 10-year availability

AMD EPYC Embedded 2005 Series Processors

After the release of the high-performance EPYC Embedded 9005, AMD has now introduced the EPYC Embedded 2005 Series, a mid-range processor family also based on the “Zen 5” architecture and designed for space-constrained networking, storage, and industrial edge applications. The new SoCs feature up to 16 cores (32 threads) with 64 MB L3 cache, support dual-channel DDR5-5600 memory with ECC, and offer 28 lanes of PCIe Gen5 connectivity. It also supports advanced RAS capabilities, BMC, PCIe Hot Plug, multi-SPI ROM, and AMD Infinity Guard security. The processors come in a compact 40 x 40mm BGA package, which, according to AMD, is up to 2.4x smaller than competing enterprise solutions (Intel Xeon 6500P-B). Yet, they are designed for 24/7 operation, with up to 10 years of availability with full open-source software support. These features make it suitable for networking switches/routers, cold storage systems, aerospace, robotics, and other high-reliability embedded infrastructure. EPYC […]

November 24, 2025November 23, 2025 by Debashis Das - 5 Comments

Waveshare’s updated Raspberry Pi 5 dual micro HDMI to HDMI adapter adds NVMe storage support

Raspberry Pi 5 PCIe To M.2 Multifunctional Adapter

Waveshare has recently released the Pi5 Connector Adapter (C), an upgraded version of its earlier Pi5 Connector Adapter, adding support for M.2 NVMe SSDs and enabling direct OS booting from an SSD. The board connects to the Raspberry Pi 5 via its 16-pin PCIe interface and supports M.2 NVMe SSDs in 2230/2242 sizes with PCIe Gen2/Gen3 speeds. It also converts the Pi’s micro HDMI ports into full-size HDMI connectors and brings all ports on one side next to the USB and Ethernet ports of the SBC. It offers two methods for power: a USB-C input or a screw-terminal supply. Pi5 Connector Adapter (C) specifications: Supported SBC – Raspberry Pi 5 (it can support the Raspberry Pi 4B too, but the SSD functionality will not work) Storage – M.2 M-key 2230 / 2242 socket for NVMe SSD (support direct OS boot) Display – 2x HDMI outputs via 2x micro HDMI input […]